About Sts. Peter and Paul · Falls City, Nebraska
Sts. Peter & Paul is a Catholic parish in Falls City, Nebraska, part of the Diocese of Lincoln and the hub of the Falls City Deanery. The parish worships at 1820 Fulton Street, where the current church building — a modern structure completed in 1975 — replaced the original 1910 church of the same name. Sts. Peter & Paul is closely tied to Sacred Heart School (founded 1891), the regional Catholic school whose campus sits directly adjacent to the parish church and is co-supported by five Richardson County parishes. The parish is currently served by Rev. James Meysenburg as pastor and Rev. Louden Redinger as assistant pastor, and it offers a full schedule of weekend Masses, daily Masses, regular confessions, OCIA classes, and an active Altar Society.
- Established
- 1910
- Patron
- Saints Peter and Paul (Apostles)
- Rector
- Rev. James Meysenburg
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lincoln
Why belong here
Sts. Peter & Paul is the spiritual center of Catholic life in Falls City and the host parish of Sacred Heart School, the regional PreK-12 Catholic school shared with four neighboring parishes. A faithful Catholic can worship here at three weekend Masses (Saturday 5 p.m., Sunday 7 a.m. and 10 a.m.), attend daily Mass Monday through Friday at 6:45 a.m., go to confession before every Mass, and grow in the faith through OCIA classes on Wednesdays. The parish's long-running Altar Society, the annual Turkey Bazaar, and its historic ties to the Sisters of the Precious Blood and the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth reflect more than a century of Catholic community life in Richardson County.
Mass times at Sts. Peter and Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:45–4:45 p.m.
- Sunday 6:30 a.m. (before the 7:00 a.m. Mass)
- Sunday 9:30 a.m. (before the 10:00 a.m. Mass)
Parish History
Catholic life in Falls City began with St. Francis Xavier Parish at 12th and Harlan. In 1891 Father Denis Fitzgerald purchased the ten-acre estate of Judge Elmer S. Dundy and invited the Sisters of the Precious Blood to open an academy — the seed of today's Sacred Heart School. The first Sts. Peter & Paul Church was built in 1910, and the present church replaced it in 1975. The parish also built Tiehen Gymnasium (1924), the new Sacred Heart school (1953, dedicated by Bishop Louis B. Kucera on January 17, 1954), a grade-school wing (1962), and additional classrooms (1989); the Roh Activity Center was added to the school in 2015.
- 1891 — Parish (then St. Francis Xavier) purchases Judge Elmer S. Dundy residence; Sacred Heart School opens under the Sisters of the Precious Blood
- 1910 — First Sts. Peter & Paul Church built
- 1924 — Tiehen Gymnasium built
- 1953 — Cornerstone of new Sacred Heart Memorial School laid by Msgr. Lawrence Obrist
- 1954 — Bishop Louis B. Kucera dedicates Sacred Heart school
- 1962 — Grade-school wing completed (Catherine Tiehen bequest)
- 1967 — Five-parish consolidation under Father Raphael Chonta and Bishop Flavin
- 1971 — Judge Dundy's 100-year-old house demolished for new church
- 1975 — Current Sts. Peter & Paul Church built
- 1989 — New classrooms added south of Tiehen Gym
- 2015 — Roh Activity Center (RAC) built and dedicated
Pastor & Clergy
Sts. Peter & Paul is currently served by Rev. James Meysenburg as pastor and Rev. Louden Redinger as assistant pastor. The parish's email contacts reach the priests through the diocesal domain (cdolinc.net).
- Rev. James Meysenburg — Pastor ([email protected])
- Rev. Louden Redinger — Assistant Pastor ([email protected])
Sacred Heart School (PreK–12)
Sacred Heart School has stood on the parish campus since 1891 and today operates as a Preschool through Grade 12 Catholic school in the Diocese of Lincoln. It is supported by five Richardson County parishes: Sts. Peter & Paul (Falls City), Immaculate Conception (Rulo), St. Mary's (Arago), St. Anne's (Shubert), and St. Mary's (Dawson). The campus at 1820 Fulton includes the main school building, Tiehen Gymnasium (1924), O'Connor Hall lunchroom, and the Roh Activity Center, built onto the elementary wing in 2015.
- Main school building — elementary, middle, and high school classrooms, offices, library, art room
- Tiehen Gymnasium (1924) — music room, preschool, gym, weight room, locker rooms
- O'Connor Hall — parish/school lunchroom
- Roh Activity Center (RAC, 2015) — lunchroom, training room, offices, conference room, new gymnasium
- Founded 1891; supported by five area parishes
Parish Ministries & Organizations
The parish's lay life is organized through a long-running Altar Society (divided into eight rotating groups), the Lincoln Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, an annual Turkey Bazaar, and Vacation Bible School. The Altar Society cleans the church twice a year, prepares funeral and parish dinners, and underwrites sacramental and catechetical supplies; its current officers include President Jeannie Mullins, Vice-President Kay Taft, Secretary Vicki Martineau, and Treasurer Mary Martineau.
- Altar Society (8 cleaning groups, funeral/ parish dinners)
- Annual Turkey Bazaar (supports First Communion, liturgical supplies, VBS, etc.)
- Parish Council of Catholic Women (PCCW) — Falls City Deanery unit
- Vacation Bible School
- OCIA — Wednesdays, 7:00 p.m.
- Parish Council of Catholic Women president (2024-2026): Judy Weston
Visiting & Contact
Sts. Peter & Paul is located at 1820 Fulton Street in Falls City, Nebraska. The parish is in the Diocese of Lincoln's Falls City Deanery and is reachable by phone at 402-245-3002; email reaches the pastor at [email protected]. Travelers coming from Highway 73 (which runs north–south through Falls City) will find the church five blocks east on 18th Street.
- Address: 1820 Fulton Street, Falls City, NE 68355
- Phone: (402) 245-3002
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: lincolndiocese.org parish directory listing
- Facebook: facebook.com/sppfc (livestreams one weekend Mass)
- Deanery: Falls City
Historical Highlights (from parish/Diocesan Council of Catholic Women history)
The Falls City Deanery of the Lincoln Diocesan Council of Catholic Women publishes a concise historical summary noting that the first Sts. Peter & Paul Church was built in 1910, the present church in 1975, and that Sacred Heart School — begun in 1891 — has grown into a PreK-12 campus with main building, Tiehen Gymnasium, and the Roh Activity Center dedicated in 2015.
- First Sts. Peter & Paul Church: 1910
- Current Sts. Peter & Paul Church: 1975
- Sacred Heart School founded: 1891
- Tiehen Gymnasium: 1924
- Roh Activity Center: 2015
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Denis Fitzgerald1891–
Appointed July 15, 1891; persuaded the Sisters of the Precious Blood to open Sacred Heart School.
- Rev. John Hoffmanpre-1935
First pastor to plan seriously for a new school building; transferred in 1935.
- Rev. James Gilroy1935–
Short pastorate following Father Hoffman.
- Msgr. R. J. Healey1939–1949 (approx. 10 years)
Continued the dream of a new school; left before it could be financed.
- Rev. Joseph Murphy1949 (3 months)
Became ill and died September 30, 1949.
- Msgr. Lawrence F. Obrist1949–
Former Army chaplain; led fundraising and construction of the new Sacred Heart school (cornerstone 1953, dedicated by Bishop Louis B. Kucera on January 17, 1954) and its grade-school wing (1962).
- Rev. James Conley
Listed in parish centennial history as a subsequent pastor.
- Rev. Raphael Chonta
Consolidated five Richardson County parishes into the shared Sacred Heart school system under Bishop Flavin.